Syed Zain Almohdzar's company Klean shows how determination and the right perspective can ignite local environmental awareness among consumers and corporations alike
It’s a common belief among the environmentally conscious that plastic is evil and needs to be avoided or removed from existence. But Syed Zain Almohdzar, the chief technology officer of Janz Technologies, has a different take on the matter.
“In Malaysia, we think plastic is bad, that it's better to find alternatives,” says the entrepreneur, who is a recipient of this year's Gen.T x Credit Suisse Social Impact Awards. “But other countries don't do that. To them, it’s about how responsible you are with dealing with plastic waste.”
He believes that demonising plastic achieves nothing. Controlling the circular movement of plastic within the economy is a far better response.
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“It’s how people dispose of plastic that’s the problem. Plastic can be sustainable if there’s a system to recycle and put it back into circulation.”
This is what Klean, the reverse vending machine (RVM) developed by Janz Technologies, was designed to accomplish.
The RVM enables consumers to recycle plastic bottles and aluminium cans in exchange for rewards, which are redeemable through a mobile app.
“Recycling isn’t part of Malaysian culture, so our RVMs are here to push for behavioural change. For people to recycle, there has to be convenience. Our mission is to ensure our infrastructure gives them that.”
The RVM is the first of its kind to be designed and assembled locally. The first three machines were launched in 2020. Now, there are a total of 34 in operation across the country.
Since the machine's debut, about 420,000 containers have been recycled through Klean with 21,800 unique recyclers recorded. Meanwhile, 2.2 million Klean points have been redeemed, amounting to RM250,000 (about US$56,500) in value.
As for its carbon offset, Klean has contributed to 37.5 tonnes in savings to date. “The idea here is you’re calculating how much carbon you’d use to recycle a plastic bottle compared to producing a brand new one from virgin plastic,” Zain explains.
He believes such information will soon become valuable for local businesses once Bursa Malaysia, the country's stock exchange, introduces its voluntary carbon exchange market.
“Klean will give companies the opportunity to collect and analyse data about their social impact.”
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